What We Keep in the Box of Our Hearts

Եվ ասին, որ ինչո՞ւ կու գաք այստեղ և կաղոթեք. ասիկա եկեղեցի չէ, տաճար չէ, սրբավայր չէ։ Սակայն, ըստ ավանդության, մարդիկ կու գան հոս և կաղոթեն բժշկության համար ու կստանան։ Չենք գիտեր ինչու, բայց այդպես է։ Ուրեմն իրենք մտան, հետազոտեցին և բանավոր պատմության միջոցով հասկցան, որ այդ տան մեջ տուփ մը կար, և այդ տուփը կպատկաներ Սուրբ Մարիամին։ Երբ որ ինքը ավետումը ստացավ հրեշտակեն, իր հագուստը, որ կհագներ այդ ժամանակ, այս տուփի մեջ դրավ, և հոն մնաց մինչև այդ օրը։ Ուրեմն իրենք առին այդ տուփը և բերին Պոլիս՝ Կոնստանտինոպոլ, որտեղ կայսրը այն ժամանակ ընդունեց և զետեղեց Սուրբ Աստվածածնի մայր տաճարին մեջ։ Եվ ադիկա մնաց որպես ավանդություն և սովորություն, և մարդիկ դարեր շարունակ կու գային այդ տաճարը բժշկության համար և կստանային։

Ուրեմն մենք այսօր կնշենք այն օրը, երբ հայտնվեցավ այս կարևոր մասունքը հին ժամանակեն։ Մեզի՝ հայերուս համար ինչո՞ւ կարևոր է։ Ինչո՞ւ համեմատաբար երկու հարյուր տարի առաջ մեր եկեղեցվո հայր Սիմեոն Երևանցի կաթողիկոսը որոշեց ներդնել այս տոնը մեր տոնացույցին մեջ, ուր առաջ չկար։ Որովհետև ասիկա նախ և առաջ Աստվածածնի տոն մըն է։ Աստվածածնի տոները մեզի համար շատ կարևոր են, որովհետև Սուրբ Մարիամ Աստվածածինը մեր գլխավոր բարեխոսն է։ Նաև բժշկության տոն է։ Ասիկա օր մըն է, երբ մենք կաղոթենք բժշկության համար և կհավատանք ու իրապես կստանանք այն բժշկությունը, որուն պետք ունենք՝ ըլլա հոգու, մարմնի կամ մտքի բժշկություն։ Այդ բժշկությունը բոլորս պետք ունենք և միայն կրնանք ստանալ Տիրոջմե։

Ուրիշ խորհուրդ մըն ալ կա այսօրվա մեջ։ Ուրեմն ի՞նչ դրավ այս տուփին մեջ։ Դրավ այն հագուստը, որ ինքը կհագներ, երբ ավետումը ստացավ հրեշտակեն։ Ինքը որոշեց պահել, պահպանել ու սուրբ պահել այն բանը, որ ներկա էր սրբության։ Այդ սրբությունը պահելով՝ կարողացավ զայն սուրբ պահել մեզի համար։ Ուրեմն մենք պետք է որոշենք, խորհրդանշականորեն ասած, թե մեր տուփերուն մեջ ի՞նչ պետք է դնենք, որ սուրբ մնա, որ մենք պահենք զայն, որովհետև կարևոր է մեզի համար և կօգնե, որ մեր կյանքին մեջ մոտենանք Աստծո ու ավելի լավ ըլլանք մեր հոգևոր և քրիստոնեական կյանքի ճանապարհին վրա։

Ի՞նչ կդնենք այդ տուփին մեջը։ Որովհետև բոլորս հանդիպած ենք սրբության։ Թերևս չենք հիշեր այդ պահը, բայց մենք Աստծո կամքով կմտնենք այս աշխարհը և իր կամքով ու նախախնամությամբ կապրինք, և մենք հանդիպած ենք սրբության։ Ուրեմն մեր հոգու տուփին մեջ ի՞նչ կպահենք, որ ինքը մեզի պահե, մեզի սուրբ պահե և պահպանե։

The passage that we read in the Bible today on the occasion of this unique feast day, known as the Discovery of the Chest of Saint Mary, the Mother of God, is from the Gospel of Matthew. It is one of my favorite passages, a parable of Jesus Christ—one of his agricultural parables. He gives an example in which the helpers on a farm are given good seed to plant in their fields. They go out and do a good job of planting this good seed, and they are excited about the crop that is going to grow there.

However, the parable tells us that, unbeknownst to the helpers and to the lord of the land himself, his enemy comes and plants weeds wherever the good seed has been planted. The practical question that arises from the servants is: “What do we do? If we leave it like this, the crop will not be as good as it could be. The weeds will strangle the good crop, the wheat that was planted there. It will not grow properly, and it will be hard to harvest. Should we tear the whole thing up and start over again?”

They ask the lord of the land, and he says, “No. The best thing that can be done is to let them grow together until it becomes apparent which is which. When they have passed the sprouting phase and begin to grow into the fullness of their own kind, we will know one from the other. Then we can pull the weeds and let the wheat grow. We do not have to get rid of all of it; we just need to differentiate between the two.”

This is a parable found in the Gospels about the struggle between good and evil. We are present in this life and in this world where, at any given time, we are all in the sprouting phase of our lives. From the moment we are conceived, we begin to grow into this world, and it is not yet apparent which we are. By the choices that we make and by the providence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, God willing, we will be counted among the good crop, which will be reaped, celebrated by our Lord in heaven, and taken to belong to him.

But there are those who, by virtue of their choices, will eventually identify themselves with the weeds—with that which compromises, strangles, and degrades the quality of this existence, this life, and this world. Those will be removed. They are those who, by their behavior and life in this world, have denied themselves the destiny and heritage that Christ created for them through his resurrection. Through their own choices, they have judged themselves not to be worthy, and so they will not be counted among those who are reaped and kept by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This is an interesting passage for me to read today because tomorrow I have been invited to bless a farm, which will be a first. We are in San Francisco, and there are not many farms that I get to bless. I can bless a little garden here and there, but for the first time in my twelve-year career as a priest, I get to bless a legitimate farm three hours away, on the outskirts of Sacramento. I am looking forward to it. The reading for the farm blessing is the very same reading that we offer today, this passage about the crops and the sowing of wheat and weeds.

But why do we read this passage today on the Feast of the Discovery of the Chest? I do not like “box.” In English, it is such a simple and ugly word. I do not like “the box of Saint Mary.” It needs to be much more elaborate than that. But whatever it was, I am sure it was something very simple.

This feast day in the life of the Armenian Church is a relatively new one. It entered the Armenian Church’s festal calendar through Simeon Yerevantsi, who brought this tradition from the Greek Orthodox Church into the life of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It was not a new feast; it had already been celebrated for many years.

It marks an interesting occasion when, in the fourth century, two princes were traveling to Jerusalem on pilgrimage and passed through Nazareth, the hometown of the Holy Family—Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. As they passed through Nazareth, they heard a rumor about a house where people went to pray and consistently received miraculous healing. They took a detour, went to the house, and asked the people living there, “Why is this happening?” Even they were not sure.

The princes stayed for a while and investigated how this particular site had become a somewhat unlikely holy place for the people of that area. Eventually, they discovered a local tradition that when Saint Mary received the Annunciation from the Angel Gabriel, she packed away the clothes she had been wearing in the angel’s presence. She knew that they had been in the presence of holiness and should be kept holy. The chest was handed down from generation to generation and eventually came to be stored in the same house that the princes encountered on their way to Jerusalem.

They—assuming, and hoping, that they received permission, because you never know with princes—took the chest from that house. After their pilgrimage, they brought it to Constantinople and presented it to the emperor. He then stored it in the Cathedral of Saint Mary in Constantinople, where for many years it became a vital and important pilgrimage site for faithful people seeking healing.

Our former Catholicos Simeon Yerevantsi brought this feast into the life of the Armenian Church for several reasons. First, it is important for us to be reminded of the significance and power of Saint Mary, the Mother of God, as an intercessor on our behalf to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is very important for us. Saint Mary is remembered many times in all the services of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Second, this feast reminds us of the healing that we can access through our life of faith, through prayer, and by encountering what is holy—in this case, something that had been in the presence of the Angel Gabriel. When we are in the presence of God’s providence and holiness, we have access to the miraculous healing given to us through Christ’s love and mercy.

Lastly, there is a symbolic and mysterious element to the chest of Saint Mary: something holds what is precious and holy and keeps it that way. On this day, we are meant to ask ourselves: What are we keeping holy? What are we preserving? What has encountered God in our lives, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual? What should we preserve? By preserving and keeping it, we can have access to that same holiness in those moments when we need healing, hope, restoration, encouragement, and guidance—the sort of blessing that can come to us only through the power of the Holy Trinity.

Today’s passage challenges us about the nature of good and evil. Why should we tolerate evil if we ourselves are good? Yet we should remember that we are not always good. There are times when, if an accounting of our lives were taken at this very moment, it would not be clear how Christ would look upon us: would we be counted among the weeds or among the wheat? By God’s mercy and providence, we are given the necessary time for these things to come to fruition in the fullness of God’s grace.

Before I conclude this message, I want to emphasize the response of the lord. Figuratively, he is the owner of the farmland where these things were planted, but the true Lord is our Lord in heaven, Jesus Christ. His response is measured and tolerant. He had every right to be angry. He had every right to be resentful. He had every right to respond in a strongly negative way. But our Lord’s response was measured and patient because he had a vision of true justice.

Sometimes we store in our box not the things that are holy, but the things that are corrupt: our anger, our resentment, our impatience, and our unwillingness to forgive. These are the things that we preserve over time. When we turn to them, they do not bless us, give us health, restore us, or encourage us. They do the exact opposite. When we store desecration in our hearts, these things weaken and discourage us. They give us illness of mind, body, and soul.

So remove those things from the box of your heart and place there the sacred and holy gifts that come to us from the Holy Spirit. Resentment and anger are a double-edged sword, harming those who wield them just as much as those on the receiving end. Relinquish them, and remember that on this particular feast day we are called to keep what is good and holy and to reject all else, for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.